Eclectic Gender Neutral Nursery

Description

I really wanted to do something special for this nursery.  This is my third baby, and when my first two were born we lived in a tiny New York apartment with a closet for a second bedroom.  So I was never able to really create the nursery I wanted.  This time around, we are now in a house, with an actual room.  We decided to be surprised with the gender of the baby this time, so I wanted to utilize colors that would work for either a boy or a girl.  When I started the project, I thought it was just going to be grey and yellow, but I started finding some really cool pieces in turquoise and coral, and loved the way those colors complemented the yellow and grey.

Design Inspiration

My inspiration for this project all started with the shabby chic nightstand I found for $25 on Craigslist.  It needed a lot of TLC, but after a new coat of paint and a new knob from Pottery Barn, it looked fantastic, and I was inspired to find more interesting pieces to complete the look of this nursery.

Decorating Style

Eclectic.  I really tried to search for pieces that were from all over, intentionally trying to "not match".  I have had a tendency over the years to decorate with things that are easy: matching bedroom sets, dining room sets, etc.  And I always ended up being unhappy with the results.  I wanted the nursery to have a curated feel, with lots of different pieces from a variety of sources.

Project Details

For the shabby chic nightstand, I purchased it for $25 on Craigslist.  It was already mostly white, but just in rough shape.  The lower shelf was bright pink.  So I just lightly sanded the whole piece, and then repainted it with two coats of white flat paint that I had lying around.  I added a $9 turquoise knob from Pottery Barn and voila!  Just like new.

The lamp base is from Amazon, and the lampshade and clock are both from Cost Plus World Market.

The chevron blackout curtains are from Pottery Barn Kids.

I purchased the turquoise frame and candle holder from an adorable vintage furniture store in Sonoma called Poppy's.

The glider is by Dutalier, and was one that I had from my previous two children.  I had really wanted to purchase a new white or grey glider, one that had that over-stuffed chair look, but I think this still worked out.  It added a little contrast to the other colors in the room.

All the artwork, with the exception of the stretched canvas was purchased on Etsy.  And I framed the three yellow and grey prints over the crib using pictureframes.com.  I have been a huge fan of theirs for a while.  They use acrylic instead of glass, so it's shatter proof, definitely a plus when you live in earthquake country like we do.  And it's just great in general when you are hanging a piece over the crib.

All pillows are also from Etsy.

The crib is the Kendall Crib by Pottery Barn Kids, that was purchased second-hand from a friend of mine.  The bumper and crib skirt are both from Amazon.

The turquoise rug is from Land of Nod.

I searched for a really long time for a good dresser/changing table.  I didn't want something that looked too generic, and was really hoping to find something with character, without breaking the bank.  Everything I was finding this size was around $700, but I found this gem already refinished at an antique furniture store in Sonoma, called The Secret Nest.

Favorite Items

My favorite item is the shabby chic nightstand, simply because I put so much of myself into fixing it up, and making it look like new.

I also really love the candle holder - such a unique piece and really cool looking.

Advice

The best advice I can give is don't be afraid to mix colors and patterns.  I was always reluctant to do this, afraid it was going to look terrible.  But I looked at a lot of examples here on Project Nursery, and was really inspired to break out of my comfort zone.

I purchased a lot of the decor online, and my strategy was to search for all the pieces I wanted before purchasing anything.  I literally had about 15 tabs open on my computer, searching all different sites for the colors and patters I liked, and once I found all the things that I thought went together, I just bought, bought, bought!  And just about everything worked out.  I had to return a few things, but overall it worked out great!